When participating in leisure activities, it is often desirable to bring along food or beverages for consumption before, during, and/or after the activity. Often, the food may be perishable and the ambient temperature may be high (for instance, at a beach location), so it is desired to keep the perishable food in a temperature-controlled environment to avoid spoiling. Similarly, beverages (such as canned beverages) may also be consumed, and it is desired to keep such beverages cool until consumption. Typically, a storage container may be used to transport the food and beverages while maintaining them in a temperature-controlled or temperature-protected environment. Storage containers and insulated storage containers may also be used for a variety of other purposes or activities including hunting, fishing, camping, medical purposes, working at remote locations, general storage, food delivery, and/or other business purposes.
Ice and/or cooling packs may be placed in an interior portion of a storage container defined by the side walls and bottom wall to keep the interior portion of the storage container at a desired temperature that is lower than the ambient temperature. In other situations, storage containers may be used to keep one or more items warmer or hotter than the ambient environment.
In many situations it is desirable to conveniently carry the storage container from one location to another. It may be desirable to carry the storage container in different ways depending on factors such as how heavily the storage container is loaded, the person(s) carrying the storage container, whether the person(s) are carrying other items, the distance it is to be carried, the terrain being covered, and/or the type of items in the storage container. In some situations, it may be desirable to carry the storage container for an extended period as part of an activity, such as while hiking, camping, trekking, hunting, fishing, and/or for military activities. In some situations, it may be desirable to have one or more portions of the storage container be made from a flexible, or semi-flexible, material in order to make it more comfortable and/or convenient to carry. Improved portable storage containers are provided herein which provide improved features in these respects.